History of Venezuela

From time to time, different historical incidents have modified and led to the creation of the present day Venezuela. Different theories have been woven around the origin and history of Venezuela and its inhabitants over the past thousand years or more. It was believed that the first Venezuelans were traced back at around 13000 B.C., who were actually believed to be settlers from the neighboring nations of Brazil, Guyana and Antilles as we know them in present day. The history of Venezuela is marked by many events.

So here's sharing with you some glimpses about the glorious history of Venezuela.

Spanish Invasion----
Though originally inhabited by natives of Carib and Arawak Indians, it was only in 1498 that Christopher Columbus established itself as Spanish territory followed by a colonial rule by the Spanish rulers for a considerable time. Towards 18th century, there was wide spread revolt against the ruling Spanish empire led by Simón Bolívar against the injustice meted out to them. With the discovery of gold mines in Yaracuy, slavery was introduced thereby leading to class conflicts and growth of feudalism.

Political History of Venezuela in 19 th century---
Within a few days time, political turmoil in then Venezuela received a great impetus with the out break of Napoleonic War in Europe which led to the weakening of Spain's imperial hold over the province. Due to ongoing political conflicts, some regions remained neglected while others were brought under the jurisdiction of Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1777; special emphasis and development were focused on those provinces and regions which served as main source of economy for the rulers. However, on April 19 th in 1810 after a sudden but brief political coup, they achieved independence from the Spanish rulers on 5 th July 1811 which is now officially accepted as Venezuelan Independence Day.

20th Century History of Venezuela—
Simon Bolivar is credited as the leader of freedom struggle in Venezuela along with Jose Paez who declared it a sovereign state on 1830. It was under the rule of Juan Vincente Goméz, between 1909 and 1935, that saw a rapid phase of economic development and growth followed by social expansion and up gradation. In 1936 and 1937, democratic elections were held for the post of Presidency of Venezuela which later on led to the formation of National Assembly. Through out the years, the country has faced political instability as a result successive governments were formed which in fact could last long. It was only in 1992 that Hugo Chavez established himself as important political figure and formed his own party known as Movimiento Quinta República (MVR, the Fifth Republic Movement), and won the Presidential election in 1998, with the support of smaller fractions of political party and formed his own government subsequently.

Further more in the elections of 2000, the citizens of the country saw him as a serious candidate for the post of President of the country and voted him too. He won by a huge majority. Within few days of assuming his office he formulated some constitutional changes thereby increasing more powers for the President.

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